Creating a "Continuing Bonds" Action Plan

The client feels that the only way to grieve is to sever connection with the deceased.

When a client is grieving, they may have internalized the idea that recovery means detachment. For many, this prospect is deeply distressing and feels like a second abandonment of the person who died. This leaves them feeling stuck, unable to imagine a future that doesn’t require severing a bond they still cherish.

This directive provides a framework for the client to consciously design what their ongoing relationship with the deceased will look like. Instead of focusing on detachment, it guides them toward creating new, tangible ways to maintain the connection. The client walks away with a personal, intentional plan for carrying the bond forward.


Creating a "Continuing Bonds" Action Plan

Your relationship with the person who died has changed, not ended. This is a plan for finding concrete ways to continue that connection.

In the table below, identify four distinct ways you want to maintain a bond. For each one, describe a single, specific action you will take. Schedule a time to complete each action before your next session.

Type of BondSpecific Action to TakeScheduled Day & Time

Generated with Rapport7 — rapport7.com

Print it. Hand it over. See what changes.

Every directive in the library is printable — branded with your clinic name and logo, ready to go home with the client at the end of the session.

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